Dell kick-started the market for premium yet affordable 24in monitors with its PVA-based 2405FPW, the first monitor of its ilk to offer full adjustability, multiple AV inputs and decent image fidelity at a reasonable price. This evolution has reached its culmination with the monitor we're looking at today: HP's LP2475w.

Traditionally the preserve of high-end professional displays costing close to £1,000, the LP2475w is based on an IPS panel - arguably superior to alternatives like PVA and MVA in that it has better viewing angles and colour reproduction. However, not only has HP brought the latest revision of this panel technology (H-IPS, an evolution of S-IPS) to market at around £400, it has packed its monitor with more features and connections than you have any right to expect at this price. Too good to be true? Let's find out.

From the moment you open the box, everything about the HP LP2475w feels like it should cost a lot more than it does, beginning with the generous selection of cables, which include USB A-B, DVI, DVI to VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort. This might already have given you a hint as to the wealth of connectivity on offer, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Out of the box the monitor comes in two parts: the screen and stand. These click easily together much like the excellent system used on Dell's UltraSharp 2408WFP. If you'd rather use a VESA arm the LP2475w is compatible with VESA100, but most users won't need to since the provided stand offers every adjustment you could want.

This includes smooth height adjustment, lifting the screen's base between 4.5 and 16cm, 35 degrees of tilt and a generous 45 degree swivel, which unlike the cheap effort on the NEC MultiSync LCD24WMGX3 doesn't move the base but rather works from a rotating plate just below the stand's tilt hinge. 90 degree pivot completes the package, giving the LP2475w excellent ergonomic versatility.

Its stand is constructed from very solid plastic partially reinforced with metal, while the stand's base has a large 36 x 22cm footprint, which keeps the heavy screen stable. HP has also integrated a useful tray into the base that's perfect for storing pens, paper-clips and all the other detritus that tends to gather one one's desk. This display also has one of the more sophisticated cable management systems we've come across, allowing you to route cables to either side of the stand behind soft rubber flaps to come out the back at the stand's base.